The present invention relates to new benzobisthiazole and benzobisoxazole copolymer compositions containing an electron-rich triarylamine group for multifunctional high performance applications.
Rigid-rod poly(benzobisazole) (PBZ) polymers are well-known for their superior mechanical properties and high-temperature capability which are better than the state-of-the-art Aramids (e.g. Kevlar). The PBZ group includes poly(benzobisoxazole) (PBO), poly(benzobisthiazole) (PBT) and poly(benzobisimidazole) (PBI) polymers. These polymers have been heralded as the next-generation structural materials.
It is known that isotropic and biaxially oriented PBZ films can be rendered electrically conductive via .sup.84 Kr.sup.+ -ion implantation. Conductivity as high as 100 S/cm for biaxial oriented film has been achieved. It is also known that a PBZ film can be reduced electrochemically to a conductivity of about 20.+-.10 S/cm. This is in accord with the fact that PBZ is known to be a .pi.-deficient aromatic system as evidenced by both chemical and spectroscopic studies. Certain derivatized PBZ polymers have also exhibited .chi..sup.(3) non-linear optical (NLO) properties and ionic conductivity.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide novel benzobisazole copolymers containing functional groups for multifunctional high performance applications.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art.